Marine licence

To operate a registered boat in Victoria, you need a marine licence. To use Personal Watercrafts (PWC) like jet-skis, your marine licence needs a PWC endorsement. You can get a marine and PWC licence by taking a test, or by converting an interstate or overseas licence.

Eligibility

You need to be at least 12 years old to be issued with a marine licence. For a Personal Watercraft (PWC) endorsement, you need to be at least 16.

You also need to meet basic medical and eyesight standards.

You can’t get a Victorian marine licence if you have an interstate or overseas marine licence that’s suspended, cancelled or disqualified.

Restricted marine licences

If you’re between 12 and 16 years old, you can only apply for a restricted marine licence.

When you turn 16, you automatically get a full marine licence. Keep using the same licence card, but you don’t need to follow the restrictions any more.

Once you’re 16, you can also take the test for a PWC (eg jet-ski) endorsement, if you want.

Marine licence restrictions

If you have a restricted marine licence, you can't:

operate a vessel between sunset and sunrise

tow a person, another vessel or an object, or

operate at a speed of 10 knots or more.

Interstate or overseas marine licence holders

If you’ll be operating a vessel in Victoria for more than 3 months, you need to get a Victorian marine licence.

To convert an interstate/overseas marine licence, book and pay for a licence changeover appointment.

To convert your marine licence to Victorian:

your licence needs to be current (or expired less than 5 years ago),

your licence can’t be suspended, cancelled, or disqualified, and

you need to meet basic medical and eyesight standards.

You’ll need to provide proof of your interstate/overseas licence - usually the licence card is enough.